New Adventures
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: Based on the still pictures during the film's end credits, these are some ordinary adventures Carl, Russell, and Dug had after they returned to America. *Adventure is all around us!*
1. A Walk Down the Street

Carl Fredricksen was walking down the street. His new friends, Russell, the new Senior Explorer, and Dug, the talking dog, were with him. He came to a point in the city where they had to cross the street. When the "Stop" sign changed to "Walk," he started to cross, but he stumbled over the curb and almost fell.

"Mr. Fredricksen!" exclaimed Russell, rushing out to stop him from falling. Russell reached out and grabbed Carl's hand, saving him.

Dug trotted towards him. "Are you all right, master?" he asked.

Carl held his head for a second. "Yeah, don't worry about me, Dug," he replied, "I'm fine."

"Oh, good!" Dug said happily.

"Thank you, Russell," Carl said to the boy.

"No problem, Mr. Fredricksen," Russell said. "Just be more careful when stepping on or off the curb."

"I know how to cross the street, Russell," said Carl dryly, "I've done it for years. But thanks for your concern, anyway."

"Any time," said Russell.

Dug said, "We'd better hurry and cross the street while the 'Walk' sign is still on. We're holding up traffic a little."

"Good idea," said Carl, "Then let's get going."


	2. Chasing the Squirrel!

On another day, Carl and his human and dog friends were taking a walk through the city park. Dug was sniffing around, looking for something to play with, or even someone.

"I suppose Dug must really love looking, or sniffing, I should say, for another animal to chase or pounce on," remarked Carl.

"Yeah," said Russell, "I'll bet Dug loves all kinds of animals, don't you, Dug?"

Dug looked at them. His puppy-dog eyes twinkled. "Oh, yes," he said, "Even dogs believe in loving their neighbors, and the animal kingdom is my neighbor. Why, I can even love a cat, and without chasing it away in the process. It's a lot of fun to see a - SQUIRREL!" he suddenly shouted, as a bushy-tailed little creature dashed past them. Dug immediately gave chase.

Carl and Russell followed, Russell finding it easier than Carl to keep up. Dug chased the little thing, shouting, "SQUIRREL!" repeatedly as he ran. At last, he pounced on and got the squirrel.

But Dug was too nice a dog. He wouldn't harm a fly. He let the panicking animal go after catching it.

"Wow! Look at that, Mr. Fredricksen!" Russell said to Carl as the old man slowly caught up, huffing and puffing.

"Good job, Dug," he complimented the dog. "Now I know firsthand what it's like for you and your pals to be distracted by a squirrel."

"Thank you, master," said Dug, "I love to have fun, but I aim to please, too."


	3. Our Fishing Trip

"Isn't it a beautiful day outside, Mr. Fredricksen?" said Russell as he and Carl sat in their little fishing boat, holding their fishing poles and fishing.

"It certainly is, Russell," said Carl, "It certainly is. Now remember, Dug," he turned to their Golden Retriever/Husky, "When one of us catches a fish, restrain yourself from eating it until we're finished fishing. It's best to wait for good things, rather than be greedy for them."

"I understand, master," said Dug cheerfully, "I will restrain myself."

Carl and Russell continued to fish. Dug kept saying aloud, "I will restrain myself. I will restrain myself."

Finally, Carl caught a fish first. It was a handsome salmon.

"Look at this, Russell!" shouted Carl, "Look what I caught!"

"Wow, that's a big salmon, Mr. Fredricksen," said Russell. "How do you like that, Dug? I think you're gonna have the best dinner yet tonight."

Dug's tongue hanged out and he panted. Without intending to, he drooled a little. "Oops! Sorry, master, Russell," he said apologetically, "I didn't mean to do that."

Carl used his handkerchief to wipe it off the boat. "That's all right, Dug. It doesn't bother me that much."

"And why should it?" agreed Russell, "Almost all dogs do that at some point in their life."

They continued to fish for a while. Carl was lucky enough to catch a second salmon. Dug tried to distract himself by looking at the lake and the surrounding scenery. Then, when they were almost ready to quit for the day, and Russell was disappointed (but not jealous) to have caught no fish...

"Hey, Carl!" he said, "I've got a big one here!" He started to lean forwards as the fish was seemingly trying to pull him into the water.

"I've got you, son," said Carl, grabbing him from behind and helping him pull the fish into the boat.

"Wow!" Russell said again, "A chinook! These guys are big and heavy!"

"Way to go, Russell!" said Dug, looking hungry.

"Yes, you did very good, my boy," Carl complimented Russell. "Now, we'll go back to the house and we'll split these fish between us and Dug."

"Okay," said Russell.

"Oh boy! Fish! This is gonna be a yummy meal," said Dug as they rowed the boat back in.


	4. The Camping Museum

"Hey, Mr. Fredricksen, it's this way," Russell said excitedly as he led Carl and Dug to a big museum downtown.

Carl looked at it. "So this is the Camping Museum you've been telling me about?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's right," confirmed Russell, "It's got some real cool stuff in it. Come on, come inside! What are you waiting for?"

"Easy, Russell," said Carl, "Let an old man take his time getting up the stairs."

"Oh, yeah, sorry," said Russell.

"Can I come in with you, master?" asked Dug.

"I'm afraid not, Dug," Carl replied, "Dogs are not normally allowed in museums."

"Oh," said Dug, his head down. "In that case, I'll just wait for you out here."

"Good boy," said Russell.

Inside, there were a lot of things on display relating to outdoor camping. Several tents were put up, of varying sizes and shapes. The tools and props used to set up campfires, spits, and the tents were on display as well. Russell showed Carl his favorite tent, a tan one, shaped traditionally, but a little bit larger than the one Russell carried in his backpack.

"Wow, I never knew a camping museum could have so many...outdoor camping things in it," remarked Carl. "Maybe Ellie and I should've tried it out when we were young."

"You're never too old to try, Mr. Fredricksen," said Russell.

Carl laughed. "That's what I like about you, Russell. You and Dug always make me feel young again."

"Let's go look at the outside part of the museum now," said Russell, and they walked to an outdoor section where a realistic camping trailer was parked. It was made of metal, had a few windows, and shone like silver.

"That looks like my kind of tent," said Carl in good humor.

"Yeah, I like it, too," said Russell.

"I'm not surprised you like it so much, master," they heard a familiar voice say. They looked to the side of the trailer and saw Dug. He was doing his business on the grass where he stood.

"Dug!" said Russell, "How did you get in here?"

"I snuck in through the side, Russell," Dug said. "It looked so beautiful here, and I had to find a place to pee, too."

"Dug, you shouldn't pee on public property!" Carl exclaimed, "You'll get us in trouble!"

"You already are, sir," said a museum guard standing behind them. "If you don't want to pay a fine, I'd suggest you leave and take that dog with you, now."

"Uh, okay," said Carl, "we're leaving now."

"We're sorry, mister guard, sir," said Russell humbly.

"Hi there!" Dug said to the guard as they left. The guard stared in stunned disbelief. "Did that dog just talk?" he asked himself.

Outside the museum, Carl, Russell, and Dug regrouped. "That was close," said Carl.

"I am sorry I spoiled your day at the museum, master," said Dug with his head down.

Carl thought a moment. "Oh, that's all right," he forgave Dug, "Sometimes, even getting in trouble can be an adventure, and I got to see a good amount of the museum, anyway."

"So you like the museum then, Mr. Fredricksen?" asked Russell.

"I should say I do," said Carl. "In fact, I almost can't wait to go camping again."


	5. Picnicking in the Park

Carl, Russell, and Dug were spending some time outdoors again, but this time, they had gone to Carl's favorite place to go with Ellie, the park.

"Oh, it's such a nice day today, wouldn't you say so, Carl?" Dug said as he wagged his tail happily.

"It almost always is in this place," said Carl. "Even when it rained or stormed, this park retained its beauty and it's charm. Ellie and I came here for a picnic as often as possible, just like we are today."

"Mrs. Fredricksen must've been a really nice lady," said Russell.

"She meant everything to me," said Carl, "And we shared each other's passion for adventure, as well. How's your peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Russell?"

"Mmm, it's delicious, Carl," said Russell, wiping his mouth on a napkin. "And so is this fruit punch that you got me. How did you know fruit punch is my favorite beverage?"

"Actually, I didn't," admitted Carl, "But I suppose I figured that a lot of kids your age would like punch just as much as older kids like soda."

"That makes sense," said Russell amiably. "How about your sandwich, Mr. Fredricksen? I notice you prefer ham and cheese. And how's your drink?"

"Good," said Carl after he finished chewing and swallowing a bite. "Ellie always knew how to make the best sandwiches, and she taught me how to make my own after we married. And cherryade is tasty, too. I know it leaves a little reddish stain on my mouth sometimes, but at my age, I'm not afraid to show a little red."

"That's great," said Russell, "although I usually prefer lemonade to cherryade. I drank some cherryade once, and the kids at school made fun of my cherry mustache for three days."

"Aw, those kids obviously had no respect for people who are different, like you do," said Carl, "Don't you worry about those kids, Russell. I'll always give you support in your education and your life with other kids."

"Thanks, Mr. Fredricksen," said Russell. "Hey! That cloud up there looks like a head and a face!"

Carl looked at the cloud Russell was pointing to. "I'll be," he said, "It does! Hey! That one over there looks like a duckling!"

"Yeah, it really does!" agreed Russell.

"That's such a cute puppy in that cloud!" said Dug, who had joined them in their cloud-gazing. "And that one looks like Beta, and that one like Gamma, and that seems to look like a...SQUIRREL!" Dug started jumping frantically in the air, as if he was trying to get at that cloud.

Carl and Russell laughed. "It's just a cloud, Dug," said Carl, "Relax. You can't catch a cloud, anyway."

"Awww!" groaned Dug, disappointed that he couldn't catch the squirrel.

"It's fun looking at the clouds, Carl, don't you think?" said Russell.

"It certainly is," Carl agreed. "This is another thing Ellie and I enjoyed doing. No cloud was shapeless or meaningless to Ellie; she could see anything in each cloud in the sky."

"She must've had a great imagination," said an awed Russell.

"She sure did, Russell," said Carl, "She sure did."

The small clouds shaped like little golf balls were the next ones they spotted...


End file.
